Campbell beats Hawaii Prep to advance

Every time Hawaii Prep tried to penetrate into the paint, it found its way blocked by crossed Sabers.

Campbell's tough zone defense held Ka Makani to 20 percent shooting as the Sabers held on to win 45-35 in the Division II quarterfinals of the Hawaiian Airlines/HHSAA Girls Basketball State Championships at McKinley's Student Council Gym.

Nobody stood out on the offensive end for Campbell, but coach Nathan Macadangdang said that is partially by design. He hesitated to call a balanced attack his team's trademark, but that was precisely how the Sabers went about their offense last night.

Oli Kila led the team with 12 points and six rebounds, while Aloha Dias-Kekahuna added eight and point guard Cheyna Tagura shook off a tweaked ankle to score seven. Vai Confer grabbed nine rebounds and Ipo Kila had five of the Sabers' eight blocks to anchor the defense.

"We've done that a lot during the year," Macadangdang said. We've had games where it's been a big individual effort, but it's usually an overall team effort."

Campbell advances to face Sacred Hearts in the semifinals at McKinley today at 8 p.m.

After two straight wins in the tournament, Oli Kila, a sophomore, is confident her team is ready to make a deep run.

"We can continue. We have heart. Yeah, we have plenty of heart," she said.

A lack of offensive versatility hurt fourth-seeded Ka Makani (9-6) -- only three players scored (Kela Fitzgerald had 14 points, Tayler Wang 12 and Cecily Kimura 9), and the team's shooting was 17 percentage points lower than that of Campbell (37 percent). That was a result of the Sabers packing their zone defense in the paint against the 5-foot-10 Fitzgerald, Ka Makani's primary offensive option.

Fitzgerald, a senior center, did grab 12 rebounds, including eight on the offensive end, but was the only inside presence for the Big Island Interscholastic Federation champions.

Ka Makani coach Dr. Craig Kimura saw that edge and his team's 11-for-19 effort at the foul line as the deciding factors.

Sacred Hearts 52, Kailua 37

Ashley Ordenstein scored 11 points, including three 3-pointers, to lead the top-seeded Lancers past the Surfriders in the other quarterfinal matchup last night at McKinley.

Sacred Hearts (14-0), the last remaining of four Interscholastic League of Honolulu teams, outscored Kailua 14-5 in the third quarter to take a commanding 16-point lead entering the final period. The Lancers take on another Oahu Interscholastic Association opponent, Campbell, in the semifinals today at 8 p.m. at McKinley.

The Surfriders jumped out to a 4-2 lead to start the game, but it was all the Lancers after that.